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'Very cool' forecast the big story in weather for rest of week

A modest improvement in corn and soybean crop condition ratings this week means that, despite way too much rain in some areas, we are now into the time of year when the majority of the crop does indeed improve whenever a good rain falls. At 70 percent good to excellent, the condition of the national corn crop this week is below the 75 percent rating of a year ago, but matched the level of 2009 (when we went on to set a new national corn yield record) and is well above the rating given to the crop at this time in 2008.

From 2000 to 2005, it was actually quite rare to find a national corn rating at 70 percent good/excellent or higher as of mid June. For soybeans, the national rating this week of 68 percent good to excellent is not far off of the 69 percent level of a year ago and is better than the rating given to every national soybean crop in mid June for 2004 through 2009.

Iowa has by far the best rated crops this week, at 84 percent good/excellent for corn and 82 percent good/excellent for soybeans.

Except for too much rain, there is not much to stand in the way of still improved ratings for next week's reports. Certainly too much soil moisture is a problem right now for a sizable part of the Midwest; basically every major producing state has a part of their main growing area where rainfall has been heavy enough as of late to create ponding in fields and create flooding problems.

Considerable additional rain will fall in the near term, but beyond mid-week we may see a situation where big, flooding-type rains become a lot less common (though rain chances will in no way shut off completely).

Very cool weather is going to be a big story for the rest of this week, as there will be areas seeing temperatures averaging 10 to 15 degrees below normal on a daily basis (some places will have highs just in the 60s). Looming ahead though is a warm start to July, with above normal temperatures suggested by June 30 and lasting through at least July 3.